The large animal had stared at her for a few moments before turning around, rummaging through the pile of trinkets. 'Is it a yes?' She was curious about what he would get. *Clink! Clanggg...* He came to her, holding something that was very dusty. "Oh?" Hinata examined it, it was a dog whistle linked to a silver chain. "This is to call you, right?" Kurama nodded at her question. "Can you take me back? If I take too long, someone might send a search party for me." He picked her up and dashed to the location where they first met.

"Sister! I almost thought that a bear got you!" Hanabi had jumped at her the instant their eyes met. "Sorry, did I make you worried?" Neji sighed in relief, he couldn't stand to lose another member of his family. His eyes picked a shine from her neck. "What do you have there?" He had gotten up and saw the whistle. "I found it in the forest, it was buried there." Strange, but considering that it used to be a trading route... "Fine. I'm relieved to see you well." The small family began eating the wild turkey he hunted.

Hinata was still up, even after her family had gone to sleep. She was scrubbing off the dirt on the whistle with her sleeve with the aid of moonlight.. When she finished, she found out that it was made from copper, having a small gravure of an oak branch. It was the first gift from a male besides Neji that she had accepted. The other were just chasing her skirt because she was one of the few available females. 'Kurama...' She recalled his appearance, he was completely covered by a burnt red fur, save for the black rim around his eyes and the brown that covered his paws up to the elbow. His tails were as thick as a horse's neck and as long as the body of one. He was surely strong to be able to carry her with a single arm, and she had felt a certain care in how he handled her. '... he was warm...' She fell asleep with a faint blush.

The lone blond was searching fruitlessly for a bear or even a wolf. He needed to prove that he could be a decent provider, otherwise no woman would see him as a provider. He looked up, noticing a faint light. 'Fire?' He went to inspect, maybe there was another fellow hunter. But the sight was one that would give him nightmares: there was a mangled man with a dying torch close to him, the paw prints around the corpse were so big. He tried to hold the bile back, but he couldn't and emptied his stomach there. It was a foreigner that he had seen once back in the village, but he never saw a human dead before.

Hinata was putting the clothes belonging to Neji to dry, having washed them after the hunt. According to him, if there was still some blood on them, the animals would be able to sniff it from afar. As she did her chore, she heard some cat calls from behind. 'Tch...' The barchelors stared at her figure, fantasizing about having her as a wife. The only thing that held them back was Neji.

After dealing with housework, she went to forest once again. This time she was eager in getting there, fingering the whistle. She blew it softly, enough to be heard for a distance. She heard rustling within the treeline, a blur landing in front of her. "Hello." He grunted a reply and picked her up, taking her to his hideout. She had taken the chance to feel the fur, threading her fingers on the strands of his neck. The only sign of his shift in focus was a twitch of ears, as his pace wasn't broken. His leaps made her feel as if she was flying, it was liberating.

Naruto had barged in the local bar, telling to the ones present about what he had found in the woods. It had prompted a recon outing to identify what killed the man. Kiba found the local of the killing pretty easily thanks to his dogs, mainly his prized breeder, Akamaru. Sasuke had found the vomit left by Naruto and mocked him. "Such a weak stomach, if you can't even handle this, how will you be a good hunter?" The trackers were identifying the prints, searching for bits of fur as well. "Sir, it was a bear. The bite and the paw format match." The Inuzuka smirked. "Alright, let's gear up and find this bad boy!"

Today Hinata decided to sort the books, taking them off the shelves and piling them with care. Kurama had been curious at first, but after she had explained her intent to him, he began helping her, speeding the job. When they finished, the fox laid on the ground, snoozing off after the workout. The girl sat close to him, enough to be able to touch his ears. He didn't refuse it, just staying still and letting her do what she wanted. She contented herself with pettting him, his fur was softer than those hunting dogs for some reason. "You're cute." This comment made him perk up slightly. "Ah, I meant your ears!" He tilted his head in puzzlement, which in turn made her jump on his neck as she messed his hair.

The group had managed to find the animal they were targetting, but it was a rather vicious bear. It killed a few men before Sasuke shot it between its eyes, a moment before Naruto. "You bastard! It was to be my kill!" The dark haired man sneered at the blond. "You lost. Maybe you still got the jitters after seeing that man?" He had enough! This man was so arrogant and had to learn a lesson! The Uzumaki lunged at the Uchiha, but the Inuzuka and the Hyuuga separated them before it got ugly. "Stop you two." What everybody had ignored for now was the five slashing scars on the bear's back, hidden under thick pelage.

I hope you liked it. Read and leave your opinion.